Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper finished its second season of our Restoration and Adaptive Management Program (RAMP). Since the end of May through the end of September, we had four RAMP stewards – Caitlin, Angelie, Aiden, and Matt – working with us to continue the ongoing restoration work at our sites around Western New York. You can read more about them below.
Led by Robert Coady, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s Senior Project Coordinator, the RAMPs also worked alongside high school students and shared their passion for watershed restoration. This program connected students and young professionals to each other from Erie and Niagara County and with local environmental experts from at least five partner organizations. It also gave them a close look at the restoration work being done at 10 locations.
“Working with the RAMPS this year has been a wonderful experience for me,” Coady said. “After assisting with the program last year, I saw how unique an experience this was both as a means of meeting the evolving needs of our restoration sites, as well as providing an opportunity for young professionals to hone their adaptive management skills and explore careers in the environmental field.”
This program is supported by the East Hill Foundation, New York State Sea Grant, New York Power Authority, the Niagara River Greenway Ecological Standing Committee and M&T Bank.
First: What’s a RECO RAMP?
It stands for our RestoreCorps (the RECO part) Restoration and Adaptive Management Program (the RAMP part).
This program was made for those seeking mentorship opportunities in ecological services and community engagement. The goal was to teach an understanding of: invasive species management, wetland plantings and trail upkeep, all while gaining experience in networking with local non-profits, enhancing resumes and gaining in-field experience. The 2024 program engaged four RAMP ‘stewards’ (RAMPS) from across Western New York in sessions designed to reach these goals.
What did the RAMPS do?
The RAMPS attended 15 sessions from the end of May through the end of September. These included actual plantings at places along Scajaquada and Tonawanda Creeks, co-teaching gardening techniques, working with volunteers at Cayuga Creek in the Town of Niagara for plantings and supporting our Young Environmental Leadership Program (YELP) students at places like Ellicott Creek for tree maintenance.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s Senior Project Coordinator Robert Coady, foreground, is with some of the 2024 RAMPS during a kayak trip by Frog Island, in between Strawberry Island and Motor Island in the Niagara River.
Why do we have this program?
The RAMPS are needed to provide long-term care to our growing portfolio of restoration sites and to build local expertise in adaptive management of restored spaces. Robert Coady said he would love to see Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper continue to expand this program in order to meet the management needs of these restoration sites, and to offer unique experiences to young professionals in the environmental field.
Restoration site management is an ongoing task that few people locally have the skills to implement, and this program fills that need. This program ensures that the investments our community has made in habitat restoration will be able to reach their full benefit potential and that Waterkeeper is mentoring the next generation of watershed stewards who will have the skillsets needed to adaptively manage restored spaces in the face of climate change and other degradation pressures.
Who are these enterprising RAMP Stewards?
A great bunch, first of all. In the lead up to the second year of the program, over 20 applicants were considered, and four were selected. Caitlin, Angelie, Aiden, and Matt all came to the program with a passion for environmental work and the natural world, and offered unique perspectives on restoration and adaptive management throughout the summer.
“We were so lucky to have such a hard working, passionate, and friendly group of stewards with us this season, and I couldn’t be prouder of the progress they’ve made this year,” Coady said.
“If last year’s program is any indication, we’ve created some lifelong partners in the world of restoration, and we hope the second ‘crop’ of RAMPS stay involved with Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper for years to come!
“To Aiden, Angelie, Caitlin, and Matt – thank you all for your time, dedication, and passion, and for your endless patience and grace fielding my endless hypothetical questions and bad jokes. You’ll all be welcome additions to whatever field you find yourself in.”
In between their work, we asked them a few questions and you can read their responses below.
Caitlin Garrell
Caitlin was interested in learning more about the species we use in our plantings, as well as the different strategies we use for installation.
What have you personally gotten out of the experience?
Caitlin: Personally, I have gained many different great qualities so far throughout the internship. This includes the ability to work with people I am unfamiliar with as a team to complete somewhat difficult tasks. I have also gained the skill of identifying native and non-native plant species in Western NY. Some other skills I gained were planting skills using a variety of tools as well as tools to remove invasive plant species. Overall this experience has allowed me to grow as a person and has given me some insight on what I really want to do with my future.
Share some memories you have from this stewardship?
Caitlin: One of my favorite memories during this stewardship was creating “rock socks” with my fellow interns and some of the BNW staff. It was a fun experience working together to make the socks as well as when we were planting in them. After this we were able to explore the grounds of the well known grain silos of the city of Buffalo which was exiting. Another favorite memory I’ve had so far is a recent one where I was able to kayak into open water in the Niagara River. We traveled to a few different islands and halfway through the journey stopped at a beach on one of them. We were able to observe the many bird species across the islands as well as what plants inhabited the area. A restoration site actively being worked on which was interesting to see.
Were there any surprises for you based on expectations prior to starting this program?
Caitlin: Based on expectations prior to starting this program, I thought that using tools such as drills and hori hori knives for planting would be more difficult than it was. It was somewhat challenging the first time I used each of them but I quickly became familiar with them as time progressed. They became fun to use and I looked forward to days where we were planting along shorelines. I also did not realize the opportunities in terms of meeting people all over the Western NY area. It opened my eyes to all the different kinds of work being done in the environmental field in the area.
What’s it been like being in the RAMP program? What are your thoughts on it?
Caitlin: It has truly been a blast being in the RAMP program. All of the staff I’ve had the pleasure to meet are amazing people. They have made this experience so unique and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect group to have my first ever internship with. There have been times where it’s been difficult but overall I’ve had such a fun time and have enjoyed every day of it. I found myself looking forward to each session.
What do you hope to take from this summer experience and how will it help you out in the future?
Caitlin:I hope to have more connections in the environmental community in Western NY after I have completed this internship. I also hope to have a better idea of job opportunities in the area for the environmental science field. Both of these will greatly benefit my future aspirations and what path I decide to take in terms of my career.
Angelie Perez
Angelie participated in YELP in 2022, and hopes to learn more about environmental restoration on the whole. She recognizes the importance of looking at the world through different lenses, and seeks to be a part of, not apart from, the natural world.
What have you gotten out of this experience?
Angelie: I’ve learned to identify different invasive and non-invasive plants in Western New York. I’ve also learned tree and plant stewardship, and the installation of crops in wetlands.
Share some memories you have during this stewardship.
Angelie: During the care of purple Martin gourds, a few eggs unfortunately fell from the gourd, and it taught me how fragile living things are and how careful we need to be when dealing with them. In this same location a dead dragonfly fell from the sky into my clothes which I found quite amazing and peculiar and it also highlighted the circle of life and the ecosystem of the species we encounter at work.
Were there any surprises for you based on expectations prior to starting this program?
Angelie: I did not expect planting crops to be hard at all, I found it quite easy to learn. What I did not expect was the back pain that we would get from planting hundreds of crops. Needless to say, it was fun and a workout!
What’s it been like being in the RAMP program?
Angelie: I’m very grateful I got the opportunity to interact with my fellow RAMPs and I’m grateful to be part of them. I find it calming and inspiring to work with everybody else and to know we are helping both the community and the environment by introducing native species back into the game and making the spaces look more aesthetically pleasing, inspiring other people to make better choices.
What do you hope to take from this summer experience and how will it help you out in the future?
Angelie: I’m hoping to get out of my comfort zone more often since I’m usually shy and introverted and this job makes me interact with others. I’m hoping this will make me more confident when networking.
Aiden Siford
Aiden also participated in the YELP mentorship program, and brings with him fieldwork experience from SUNY-ESF’s Ranger School. He is excited about the opportunities BNW’s RAMP presents to work in ecological restoration, particularly in aquatic/shoreline areas.
What have you personally gotten out of the experience?
Aiden: I have gained a greater appreciation for our local ecosystem and the wide range of restoration projects that have gone into it.
Share some memories you have during this stewardship.
Aiden: Some memories that I have from this stewardship are plug plantings that we completed while wading in the Niagara River, monitoring purple martin boxes, and the kayak trip along the islands in the river.
Were there any surprises for you based on expectations prior to starting this program?
Aiden: The wide range of sites that we worked on was surprising to me. I never would’ve known how many locations Waterkeeper has a presence at before participating in the RAMP program.
What’s it been like being in the RAMP program?
Aiden: It was very fulfilling to be in the RAMP program. It provided a lot of insight on how organizations like Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper work within the community to better their local environment, and I looked forward to the program every week.
What do you hope to take from this summer experience and how will it help you out in the future?
Aiden: I hope to take away the plant identification skills, especially between native and invasive species. It is an important skill to have when assessing site quality, which is used in many kinds of environmental work.
Matt Sarkees
Matt is another former YELP member who just finished his junior year at Niagara University, and is studying Environmental Science with a minor in Public Health. He is ‘looking forward to gaining some hands-on experience all over the community and learning many new skills while making a difference throughout the WNY region.’
What have you personally gotten out of the experience?
Matt: I feel that I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge on the environmental field and the vast amount of options out there available. I also feel that I obtained many skills that can benefit me down the road in my own career through what we did throughout the summer at our sessions.
Share some memories you have during this stewardship.
Matt: My favorite memory would be both of our sessions at Beaver Island, especially our second one when we went kayaking and explored three islands within the Niagara River. It was both a fun and enjoyable experience, and also educational. Our first session at Beaver was also a very interesting time and it was rewarding getting to see what is being done there and help continue to develop it.
Were there any surprises for you based on expectations prior to starting this program?
Matt: I felt that I gained and experience a lot more than I initially had anticipated. We were able to meet and interact with so many different people in the field almost every week which allowed us to learn about many different pathways and see careers in action. I was not expecting to meet as many people as we did and see their respective careers in action, but I am certainly glad that we did.
What’s it been like being in the RAMP program?
Matt: It has been both a rewarding and enjoyable experience being in the RAMP program. Over what felt like such a short time, I was able to explore so many locations throughout our area, and see how much work is being done to protect our ecosystems and be a part of it as well. I feel that I have grown a lot as young professional while also gaining valuable skills and connections to help progress my career, while having some fun and learning a lot all together. Everyone at Waterkeeper that we interacted with were incredibly welcoming, and the program was very well ran to give us as much experience as we could in just one summer.
What do you hope to take from this summer experience and how will it help you out in the future?
Matt: I hope to take my experience and use it to help both as I finish my education and eventually down the line professionally. The vast amount of skills and knowledge gained throughout the summer alongside meeting so many people within the field all will hopefully help me in my future when it comes to carving out my own path and career goals and understanding just how many opportunities are out there.
